perpetual
Americanadjective
-
continuing or enduring forever; everlasting.
- Antonyms:
- temporary
-
lasting an indefinitely long time.
perpetual snow.
-
continuing or continued without intermission or interruption; ceaseless.
a perpetual stream of visitors all day.
- Synonyms:
- uninterrupted, unending, constant, incessant, continuous
- Antonyms:
- discontinuous
-
blooming almost continuously throughout the season or the year.
noun
-
a hybrid rose that is perpetual.
-
a perennial plant.
adjective
-
(usually prenominal) eternal; permanent
-
(usually prenominal) seemingly ceaseless because often repeated
your perpetual complaints
-
horticulture blooming throughout the growing season or year
noun
-
(of a crop plant) continually producing edible parts: perpetual spinach
-
a plant that blooms throughout the growing season
Related Words
See eternal.
Other Word Forms
- nonperpetual adjective
- perpetuality noun
- perpetually adverb
- perpetualness noun
- quasi-perpetual adjective
Etymology
Origin of perpetual
First recorded in 1300–50; late Middle English perpetuall, from Latin perpetuālis “permanent, universal, general,” equivalent to perpetu(us) “continuous, uninterrupted” ( per- “through, thoroughly” + pet-, base of petere “to seek, reach for” + -uus adjective suffix derived from a verb) + -ālis adjective suffix; replacing Middle English perpetuel, from Middle French, from Latin as above; per-, -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They repeatedly moved to dismiss the treason count, noting that conviction required a “breach of allegiance, and can be committed by him only who owes allegiance either perpetual or temporary.”
From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026
The 30-year-old previously told SiriusXM host Julia Cunningham she'd discovered she had "a perpetual back problem" during a gruelling, months-long training regime in the run-up to the show.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
The perpetual futures contracts on Hyperliquid often involve substantial amounts of leverage, meaning a small move in the underlying asset can potentially wipe out a trader’s whole account.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026
And like other crypto-native assets, perpetual futures trade 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
There had once been a time when the seedpods were plentiful, and when the world was rich and full of life, and the mulefa lived with their trees in perpetual joy.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
